Learn about our great lake during Lake Erie Day

by Wendy Hanna

Guests to Lake Erie Day will enjoy activities and opportunities to learn more about our great lake with Lake Erie Nature & Science Center and Ohio Sea Grant.

As you live and work and play along the shores of Lake Erie, you may find yourself with questions about this great resource. How are invasive species spread? What makes a harmful algal bloom? Why is Lake Erie called the “Walleye Capital of the World”? What are the fishing opportunities available in this region?

Join us on May 23 for Lake Erie Day, where visitors to Lake Erie Nature & Science Center will have a chance to ask the experts your questions and learn more about topics related to this great lake.

“There will be hands-on activities for kids, and our staff will be available for questions on a variety of Lake Erie information for the adults," said Sarah Orlando, Ohio Sea Grant Extension Educator. "We hope to create an informal, fun and interactive event where visitors can engage one-on-one with researchers and agency staff.”

Lake Erie Day is a partnership event between Ohio Sea Grant and the Lake Erie Nature & Science Center on Saturday, May 23, from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. This event is part of the Year of Clean Water celebration for Sustainable Cleveland 2019, and event attendees will have a chance to enter to win a grand prize getaway at Cuyahoga Valley National Park through the Clean Water Tour & Sweepstakes!

Throughout the day, visitors to the Lake Erie Nature and Science Center are invited to stop by stations located throughout the Center, take part in a planetarium show about the Great Lakes region and participate in discussions or activities about Lake Erie. Several Ohio Sea Grant staff members and partners will be available to share information on topics such as harmful algal blooms, clean boating and water quality, fisheries, aquatic invasive species and more.

“We’re very excited about this new event and highlighting our partnership with Ohio Sea Grant,” said Darci Sanders, Director of Education at Lake Erie Nature & Science Center. “They are an organization whose primary concern is the health of Lake Erie. They look at the holistic picture of the lake – from the science to the economics to the person utilizing it. In working with them we’re able to provide very valuable information that is accessible for all ages.”

Following Lake Erie Day at Lake Erie Nature & Science Center, Ohio Sea Grant and the Alliance for the Great Lakes are hosting an Adopt-a-Beach Cleanup at Huntington Beach. Volunteers are invited to continue to celebrate the Year of Clean Water by cleaning up the beach from 4- 6 p.m. Please register for the cleanup at www.greatlakesadopt.org.

Learn more about Lake Erie Day at lensc.org or by calling 440-871-2900. Admission to the event is $4 for ages 4 and up, and children, teens and adults are welcome. Pre-registration is recommended through the Center’s website.